Wastewater Service and the Wastewater Treatment Plant

This division is responsible for the collection and treatment of raw sewage. Our Bowie plant was the first in the United States to utilize Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR). This is a natural treatment process that reduces the need for chemicals while improving effluent quality. Our plant has won major environmental awards from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Maryland Municipal League. Scores of plants along the Atlantic Coast have now adopted this BNR process.

The plant processes approximately 2.2 million gallons of sewage on a daily basis and serves the same areas of the City as does the Water Plant: Bowie Forest, Buckingham, Chapel Forge, Derbyshire, Foxhill, Glenridge, Gradys Walk, Heather Hills, Idlewild, Kenilworth, Long Ridge, Meadowbrook, Overbrook, Rockledge, Somerset, Tulip Grove, Victoria Heights, Whitehall, and Yorktown. All other areas of the City utilize the services of Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) for wastewater treatment.

Sewer problems, such as backups at a manhole, sewer breaks, missing manhole covers, in the above mentioned sections are the responsibility of the Utilities Division. Sewer backups within a home or business are the responsibility of the property owner and should be handled by a plumber. The City maintains only the sewer main lines.

For more information or for assistance, please contact the Public Works Department at 301-809-2344.